The Last's of Summer Sun
by hotpinkkindagirl23
Summary: "This could not be happening. Not now. Not to her. Why? What did she do to deserve this?" Emmett and Bella have always been best friends. When things start changing and falling apart, will it become too much? A/H OOC
1. Preface

Emmet didn't even know what to think. He felt sick to his stomach. It all seemed so surreal. It was just that morning that they had been hanging out and fooling around. This could not be happening. Not now. Not to her. Why? What did she do to deserve this? All of those questions kept running through his head. The room seemed to be getting smaller, like it was closing in on him. Everything started to spin. He finally shut his eyes and sat down. Only one thought was plastered in his mind this whole time.

_She can't die._

Thinking through everything, he started to replay the afternoon in his head. In doing that, he realized that this hadn't started this afternoon. This had started a while back. He was embarrassed that he hadn't noticed sooner. Looking back on it, he thought that he would have realized, would have seen the signs. They were all right there, right under his nose. But he had been too blinded by the events of the past month that he didn't even notice how distant she had been these past few days.

It hit him like a wreaking ball, that she had known that something was wrong. And she had tried to tell him. He remembered more than one instance when she had been upset, that she tried to tell him something, each time getting interrupted. He knew that what she had to say was nothing that he wanted to hear. He hadn't meant to avoid the topic of whatever she had wanted to tell him, he just did it subconsciously. He could see that whatever it was it was making her upset, and he had wanted to make it better.

But he couldn't. Not this time. This time, he couldn't protect her. He had always been there protecting her, ever since they were little kids. He knew now that there was something more to it, but he had always been really protective of her. She had been there all along. The little girl that he had grown up with. The girl that was his _best friend._ The girl he had fallen in love with. The girl he would do anything for. She was hurting, and he couldn't do anything about it.

Thinking these thoughts, a new wave if nausea hit him. He was breaking down, and he knew it. He had to get out of there. He couldn't let her see him like this. He needed to be strong for her, but he knew that he could not do that. Not right now. He got up off of his seat on her bedside very abruptly, making her jump. "I'll be back later." he mumbled as he rushed towards the door, trying not to just puke his guts out right then and there.

"Emmet?" he heard her confused voice as he slammed the door shut with more force than necessary. He started to walk down the long hallway. He hated hospitals. As he walked, his pace got faster and faster, until he ran. He ran right through the waiting room where all of her friends were waiting. He ran and didn't look back. He got outside and the cool breeze of the night sent shivers convulsing down his back, reminding him that he had left his jacket inside. But that didn't matter at the moment. Nothing did. Except that beautiful 17 year old girl who was scared and hurt, right inside of the building. He walked over to the shrubs next to the side of the building and vomited.

As he stood there, he knew what he had to do. He walked back inside and went to the pay phone in the lobby. He dialed the number quickly and listened to it ring. On the fourth ring, someone answered. "Hello?" a gruff voice said into the phone.

"Dad? It's Bella. You need to get here now." he pleaded to his father, pain dripping from every word. For the first time in years, he let his dad hear him cry.


	2. Chapter 1

One Month Earlier

* * *

_Thank God. _

That was the only thought to run through my head as I heard the bell ring for the last time.

It was summer vacation.

_Finally. _

I was packing up my things at my desk when I heard my name and looked up.

"Hey, Bella! Do you have any plans for this summer?" Mike Newton asked, leaning on my desk, and very blatantly looking down my shirt.

"Hi Mike. Yeah, I do. What about you?" I asked, just to be polite. In all honesty, though, I didn't give a rats ass about what he was doing this summer, as long as it was away from me.

"Yeah, actually I do! I'm so glad you asked!" He went on to describe this amazing trip he was going to be taking with his family and how he was going to miss me and how we should hang out when he gets back. "I'll even bring you back a souvenir." He told me, looking like he was doing me some huge favor for just talking to me.

"Thanks, Mike, but you don't have to. Really. It's not necessary." I tried to discourage him. He keeps asking me out, and can't seem to take 'no' for an answer.

"Oh, alright. I guess I'll just surprise you. Speaking of dates…" he started in again.

_Case in point. _

"Umm… Mike, we weren't speaking of dates. And I have already told you that I don't see you as anything more than a friend" _if that _"I'm really sorry, but my answer hasn't changed, and it will not change. I hope you have an awesome time in France, and a wonderful summer. Bye." I said, making my exit. I spun around and made a bee line for the door when I heard Mike shout after me.

"I'M GOING TO SPAIN…"

As I made my way out of the school, I was stopped by a couple more friends that I probably wouldn't see over the summer. I finally made my way out the heavy double doors and took a moment to breath in the hot southern air.

"BELLY!" I heard my best friend yell from somewhere in the mix of people. I squinted my eyes against the sun and scanned the crowed, looking for my brothers and best friends.

I spotted them sitting on a picnic table, all waving at me trying to get my attention. I slowly fought my way through the wave of kids trying to rush out of school to head to the beach.

As I got nearer, I could see Alice bouncing around Jasper, almost bubbling over in excitement.

"Mike." Was all I gave in explanation.

A look of understanding and amusement passed over all of their faces.

"That's okay. We were all just getting here, anyways." Alice chirped. She's a little pixie that always has a "happy-go-lucky" attitude. You can't help but smile when she's around. She's been my best friend since we were in diapers. She's also my older brother's girlfriend.

"I can't believe that it's already summer!" Rose enthused as we started walking towards Emmett's pick-up truck. "It seems like just yesterday Alice was dragging us back-to-school shopping!" Rose is my older brother Edward's girlfriend.

If Alice is "happy-go-lucky," Rose is the exact opposite. They look completely opposite, too. Alice was very short, or "fun sized" as she liked to call it, very pale, and had short spiky hair that added to her charm. Rose, on the other hand, was 5'9", long blonde hair, long legs, curves in all the right places. Both girls were ridiculously gorgeous, just in different ways.

"I know! And this is our last summer! I mean, we'll have summers again, but probably not here and together. We're all going off into the real world after next year." I added. We were all going to be seniors in high-school next year, then we would be off to college or whatever else life had in store for us.

Rose, Alice, and I were best friends. We had a group of friends that was very close knit. It consisted of us three, my two brothers, and Emmett.

My two twin older brothers were Edward and Jasper. They were great brothers, and I considered them friends, too. They were a little too over protective at times, and they could be a pain in my ass, but I knew it was because they loved me. People in school sometimes pretended to be my friend to get to them, because they were supposedly "hot" and "popular," but I just didn't see it. I mean, how can the two losers who eat Captain Crunch in their boxers watching Spongebob be "cool?" Whatever. Moving on.

Emmett McCarty.

Where to even start about Emmett. He is hot. Like, really really hot. He has curly brown hair, and gorgeous blue eyes that pierce your soul when you look into them. He has such a booming and loud voice, but he can say the sweetest things. He's huge in stature, but it's just because of all the muscles he has from playing football. When he smiles, he has the cutest dimples, and the best laugh ever. He looks really intimidating at first glance, but really he's just a big teddy-bear. He has such a big heart, and is just about the nicest guy I know. He's my all-time best friend.

And in case you couldn't tell, I'm totally and completely in love with him.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah. So there is the revised first chapter of the story! Definitely longer than it was originally. Please review and let me know what you think, especially about the things that I've changed. I've already started to rework chapter two, so hopefully I'll get that up soon, too! Thanks! :) **


	3. Chapter 2

_Previously... _

_Where to even start about Emmett. He is hot. Like, really really hot. He has curly brown hair, and gorgeous blue eyes that pierce your soul when you look into them. He has such a booming and loud voice, but he can say the sweetest things. He's huge in stature, but it's just because of all the muscles he has from playing football. When he smiles, he has the cutest dimples, and the best laugh ever. He looks really intimidating at first glance, but really he's just a big teddy-bear. He has such a big heart, and is just about the nicest guy I know. He's my all-time best friend._

_And in case you couldn't tell, I'm totally and completely in love with him._

* * *

That night, I set my alarm for six in the morning. Just because schools out, doesn't mean I get to sleep away the summer. There are still barn chores to do and horses to feed.

In the morning, I quickly dressed in jean shorts, a blue tank, my boots, and my hat. I headed out into the yard, looking around. I looked at the horses that were peacefully grazing in the pasture and headed over to check their feed. Deciding that my brother's had already fed them, I walked into the barn, and saw Jasper and Edward brushing their horses.

"My God, Bell. Did you just get up?" Jasper teased.

"Yeah. I guess I didn't feel the need to beat you guys to the chores. Thanks for taking care of the horses for me." I joked back.

"Mornin', sleeping beauty!" Emmett called to me from where he was sitting on the fence to the riding ring. I just smiled at him and looked around.

It was 7:00 in the morning, on the first day of summer, and the place was already busy.

Alice and Rose were riding around in the ring, cooling down their horses. Rose was wearing jean shorts and a black tank top and Alice was wearing plaid shorts and a white tank. We all had the same idea about wearing our hats and boots today. **(all three girl's outfits are on my profile)**

"Hey! Don't bother cooling them down!" I yelled to them, heading back into the barn. "Let's go for a ride."

I didn't wait for their consent, I just went to get ready.

I grabbed my horse, Logan, and started brushing him. As I was finishing up, I turned around and ran right into Emmett, who was carrying my tack. "Whoa! Sorry, Em. Didn't hear you coming."

"That's okay. You looked a little lost in thought. Everything alright?" he asked hoisting up my saddle onto the pads that were already placed on Logan's back.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Just thinking." I said sheepishly. I've never been a good liar, but he seemed to believe me.

I don't really know what it was, just something wasn't sitting right with me. I felt weird. Not bad, exactly, just like something bad was going to happen. I decided to keep this information to myself, though because my brothers, and Emmett for that matter, have a tendency to overreact and be overprotective. I didn't really know what was going on, but I figured it'd be fine.

If only I knew…

* * *

EMPOV

As soon as I saw Bella talking to her brothers that morning, I knew I was in trouble.

She looked hot!

I mean, I have always known that she is a very pretty girl, but something was different.

Most people think that Rose is the prettiest, but right in that moment, there wasn't anyone who compared to Bella. Which was weird, because she was my best friend. And I was also best friends with her two older brothers. And I've seen what they can do to a punching bag.

Bella and I had always been best friends. If I was somewhere, everyone assumes that Bella is there with me. And they're right. We are very close. And another thing is that I'm not the only one who has noticed that Bella is gorgeous. Even though I joke about it, I'm very protective of her. I've seen the was Mike Newton looks at her. But he knows that if he messes with Bella Swan, he has to answer to Emmett McCarty. And Edward and Jasper.

"Mornin' sleeping beauty!" I called out to her. She answered with a heart melting smile. I love her smile. And her laugh. She had an amazing laugh.

I saw her start to get her horse ready, and figured that I would help her out by getting her tack.

There's this weird thing about Bella's horse, so that's the only thing anyone can do to help. He doesn't like anyone besides Bella. He was abused by his first owner, so Bella was very forgiving about when he messed up when she was training him. He doesn't listen to anyone, except Bella.

But for Bella, he's an awesome horse, and they have won many trophies and ribbons in shows. I think that's because even horses know how compassionate she really is.

Along with being very attractive, Bella is also the sweetest girl that I know. She is so kind, and very trusting, which is another reason I'm protective of her.

As I walked up behind Bella, she didn't really seem to hear me. She turned around and walked into me, surprising us both.

"Whoa! Sorry, Em. Didn't hear you coming." She exclaimed.

"That's okay. You looked a little lost in thought. Everything alright?" I asked her. Bella had always been a very observant girl. Something was on her mind…

" Yeah, everything's fine. Just thinking." She replied. I could tell she was lying, because she sucks at it, but I let it slide and let her believe that she got away with it. I'd ask again later.

I watched as she mounted Logan and rode him over to the side of the ring, where Alice and Rose were waiting for her. They all talked quietly for a minute and then Rose called out, "Hey! We're going for a ride! We'll be back in a couple of hours!"

There was a chorus of "okay"s and "sure"s from us guys, as they rode away.

Edward, Jasper, and I finished up all the work that had to be done around the yard and then we just hung out above the barn in the hay loft.

"Hey guys, there is a basketball game going on at the high school. I think we should go. You in?" Edward proposed.

"There isn't anything else to do, so sure." Jasper replied.

"Yeah, yeah. Sure." I agreed.

"Okay, we'll just have to leave a note for the girls." Edward, always the sensible one.

"Okay. I'll get it." I said. We all went our separate directions to grab our stuff. Jazz went to get our basketball clothes and sneakers, Edward went to go call the guys at the school to tell them we were coming, and I went to write the note for the girls.

Really quickly, I taped the note to the barn door and ran to meet Edward and Jazz at the truck.

Four hours and a good game of ball later, we headed back to the Swans ranch.

"The girls should be back already, but the horses are still gone." I said to Jazz.

_Hmm... That can't be good... _

"Hey, Em! Do you see the girls? They should be back!" Edward yelled over to me.

_I kind of feel like I just said that. Oh wait... _

"Yeah, we got that Eddie. Thanks." I bit back sarcastically.

"Don't call me Eddie."

"Guys! Stop arguing. Em, you left a note, right?"

"Yeah. I taped it to the barn door, because I know that's the first place that they would go when they got back."

"Alright. If it's gone, then we know that they came back..." Edward started.

"Yes, Edward." Jasper said, as if he was talking to a little kid. "But it's right there, so they haven't."

"Oh... right..."

We were weighing our options, trying to decide if they were in trouble or if they just weren't keeping track of time. Both had happened before, so it was a fifty-fifty. We finally decided to tack up and go out looking for them, just in case and just be really pissed at them if they were fine.

We were just heading out when Alice, Rose, and Bella came riding into the yard.

"What. The. Hell." I asked them. Well, it wasn't exactly a question, but it got my point across none-the-less.

"What's wrong?" Jasper asked. He's very good at reading people. If he thought something was wrong, it probably was. So I looked over them. They seemed fine. No broken bones, no gushing blood, no crazy ass following them, all seemed well and fine.

Then I really took them in. They all looked like they had been crying.

I know for most girls, that isn't really saying much. But with these three, it's saying a lot. They are the toughest girls I know. Hell, they're tougher than some of the guys I know.

"Umm... well... I... We... Bella?" Alice stammered, trying to come up with something.

Bella looked at all of us, then faced her brothers.

"Dad called."

_That son of a bitch._

* * *

**A/N: So here's the second revised chapter. Please tell me your thoughts on it. :) Review please!  
**


	4. Chapter 3

_Previously... _

_We were just heading out when Alice, Rose, and Bella came riding into the yard._

_"What. The. Hell." I asked them. Well, it wasn't exactly a question, but it got my point across none-the-less._

_"What's wrong?" Jasper asked. He's very good at reading people. If he thought something was wrong, it probably was. So I looked over them. They seemed fine. No broken bones, no gushing blood, no crazy ass following them, all seemed well and fine._

_Then I really took them in. They all looked like they had been crying._

_I know for most girls, that isn't really saying much. But with these three, it's saying a lot. They are the toughest girls I know. Hell, they're tougher than some of the guys I know._

_"Umm... well... I... We... Bella?" Alice stammered, trying to come up with something._

_Bella looked at all of us, then faced her brothers._

_"Dad called."_

_That son of a bitch._

* * *

JPOV

The minute I saw the girl's faces, I knew something was up. I hated it when they cried. Especially Bella, because it takes a lot to make her cry.

"What. The. Hell." Emmett started, pissed that they hadn't come back when they were supposed to.

"What's wrong?" I asked them, ignoring Emmett all together.

"Umm... well... I... We... Bella?" Alice stammered, trying to come up with something.

Bella looked at all of us, then looked Ed and I in the eyes.

"Dad called."

_Well, hell._

It took two seconds for Edward to go from being concerned to down right furious. "What the hell did _he_ want?" he spat out harshly.

"Um… He said that he was coming back to town and wanted to know if he could stay with us." Bella said, not looking at us anymore. She was now staring off into space and had a detached tone.

_Damn him. _

She always got like this when something really upset her. Our father, Charlie Swan, was the police chief of a town called Forks, Washington. And he is the biggest jackass that I have met in my life.

After everything that asshole did to us, I think that it's safe to say that we don't get on well with daddy dearest. What the hell does he want now? He only ever contacts us when he needs something or wants us to do something for him. It's been a year since he's contacted us. And even longer than that when he left us.

Edward and I are twins and we're eighteen. Bella is seventeen. She is one of the smartest kids I know. She's going to graduate with us, because she skipped a grade. Mom was diagnosed with leukemia when I was 9. She started treatment right away. It did a number on her. Renee was always a free spirit. She was more of a kid then any of us were. Bella had to step up and take responsibility for things that she shouldn't have had to at age eight. Mom got better, and everything was fine. Charlie and Renee were fighting more than normal, and Charlie was almost never home, but everyone was healthy. When mom got sick the second time, Bella took on even more responsibilities around the house and yard. She was always very close to both parents, and she didn't like seeing mom the way she was. But mom, being the selfish lady that she was, leaned on Bella. At the end, she was the only one that Renee let see her. She wanted the rest of us to remember her when she was alive and well. She was selfish enough to keep Bella around her, though. When mom was told her cancer had come back, she came home and told us. The next day, Charlie packed up his stuff and left. He could not take it anymore. His twelve-year-old daughter could take it, but he couldn't.

Charlie leaving absolutely broke Bella. She tried to act like she didn't care that much and just focused on taking care of mom, but her spirit broke, and made her feel like she needed to do more. I'm not proud to say this, but Edward and I weren't very much help. We both saw what was happening to Bella and instead of stopping it, we just got angry at both Charlie and Renee. Bella really was the only thing that kept us here. Her, and our friends.

Bella missed a lot of school when Renee was sick, but she still managed to skip a grade, and be head of our class. It was really hard on her, though. She has come along way since then, but she still doesn't really like talking about it.

Bella was the only one with her when mom finally died, a little over a year after she was declared out of remission. It was tough at the end. Bella had to, once again, take care of mom when mom should have been the one taking care of her. Charlie didn't even come back for the funeral. Four years he stayed away. Bella was almost completely better, so of coarse Charlie chose to come around and ask for money. He might be the Chief of Police, but he had gambling and, apparently, alcohol problems. We just wanted to get rid of him as fast as possible, so we gave him the money and told him to get lost. It may have been harsh, but we don't take well to people hurting our baby sister.

"So…. What did you tell him?" Emmett asked after getting over the shock.

Bella blushed and looked down at her saddle. "Well, actually, I didn't tell him anything. I kind of hung up on him." That broke the spell that we were all under and we all chuckled a little bit. "But I think he's going to call back."

"Okay. So we'll just have to wait to tell him to go to hell." Edward said.

Bella paused and looked down at her saddle again.

"Wait. You're not actually thinking about letting him stay with us, are you?" Edward fumed. He has quite a temper on him.

"No… I was just…" Bella started.

"Bell, you can't be serious. Do you not remember what he did? He left us. He left you. He moved on and only wants our money. He doesn't want us. Why can't you see that," Edward ranted.

During Edward's long speech, Bella started crying again. "I know." She said as she turned Logan around and galloped away.

"Nice job, asshat." Emmett yelled and went after her.

"I cannot believe that you just threw that in her face." Alice said disapprovingly.

"Shit. I didn't mean to make her cry again, I just couldn't believe that she was even considering it. I just got so angry. But not at her. At him! For even calling her! He knows that either of us would turn him away, so he goes after her. He's always tried to manipulate her. That son of a bitch!" Edward said, looking regretfully after Bella.

"Yeah, but Edward, she wasn't considering it. We talked about it while we were out riding, hence the tears, and she told us that she knows he's trying to manipulate her, but she still feels bad turning him away because she's Bella and she says 'he's still family' and stuff." Rose said. Even though Rose and Edward were going out, she had no problem with telling him off when he was wrong, which is why they are so perfect for each other.

"Shit." Was all Edward said as he walked away to take care of his horse that he no longer needed.

"Well, that was fun." Alice deadpanned as she and Rose dismounted from their horses. I walked over to her and started to help her with her tack.

_Yeah. And it's just getting started…_

* * *

**Please REVIEW! I would appreciate it a lot. I didn't change too much in this chapter, just revised a little bit. So…. Review! Thanks! **


	5. Chapter 4

Previously…

_Bella paused and looked down at her saddle again. "Wait. You're not actually thinking about letting him stay with us, are you?" Edward fumed. He has quite a temper on him. _

"_No… I was just…" Bella started. _

"_Bell, you can't be serious. Do you not remember what he did? He left us. He left you. He moved on and only wants our money. He doesn't want us. Why can't you see that!" Edward ranted. _

_During Edward's long speech, Bella started crying again. "I know." She said as she turned Logan around and galloped away. _

"_Nice job, asshat." Emmett yelled and went after her._

* * *

EMPOV-

"Nice job, asshat." I yelled as my horse, Lily, into a gallop after Bella.

Seriously, Edward could be a clueless asshole sometimes, but I have to say, I wasn't sure why she was considering it, either. I'm just not dumb enough to yell that at her. Bella is one of the toughest people I know, and it takes a lot to make her cry, but bringing up anything that has to do with her dad or her mom, for that matter, will definitely make her cry.

"Bella!" I yelled as I saw her retreating form disappearing further and further into the distance.

"Dammit." I mumbled under my breath as I lost sight of her.

She has a fast horse.

I slowed Lily, down to a trot, to keep her from straining herself. Bella was going to have to stop soon, because even though Logan was good, he wasn't that good. He does some racing with Bella, but he was probably already tired from the last ride that they went on. I know that Bella realizes this, too. She might be upset, but she doesn't put anything above her horses' health.

I approached the side of a mountain that was bordering the playa, and, like I expected, I saw hoof prints going into a cave. Bella and I have a special place that no one else knows about. It's a little cove on the other side of the cave. There is a watering hole, a big field, and a swing hanging off a huge tree that her and I put up when we were little.

I ducked my head and walked Lily into the cave. She knows where we're going. As I came out on the other side of the tunnel, I heard Logan greet Lily. I rounded the corner and saw Bella sitting on the swing with her back to me. The sun was reflecting off her hair, highlighting the red tint she had. I sat there in the saddle for a few moments, just watching her and taking in how gorgeous she looked.

Not that this was the time for those thoughts.

But, hey, I'm a guy, I can't help myself.

I dismounted and took Lily's bridle off so she could drink from the watering hole with Logan. "Hey, you." I said once I was closer to her. She jumped about five feet in the air and flipped around, obviously not expecting me to be there. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"That's okay. Not a big deal." She replied, turning her back to me again.

"You okay? What Eddie said back there was pretty harsh."

"Yeah, it was harsh. But that doesn't make him any less right. He _didn't _want us. He _is _only coming here for money." She said, looking down at her hands in her lap.

"Yeah, that's probably the case, but who knows. He might have changed his mind. You know, had a change of heart…" I tried to comfort her.

"Maybe he did. I don't care. I'm done with him. If he wants back in our lives, tough luck. He gave it all up. He threw us all away like we were nothing to him. He doesn't get to change his mind." I don't know who she was trying to convince more, herself or me, but it didn't really work for either. We both knew that she missed her dad.

"You still mad at Edward?" I asked.

"Not sure I ever was. I was just hurt. But not by him. What he said was right. I just don't really want to hear it." She answered.

"Wanna head back?" I asked her.

"Umm… not really… wanna swim?" she asked me, standing up from the swing. Before I could answer, she was already shedding her clothes so she was just standing there in her blue bra and blue boy shorts underwear. **(pictures on my profile) **

"Holy hell, Bella. You're going to be the death of me." I mumbled as I watched her run and jump into the water. I stripped my clothes so I was just in my boxers and went in after her.

We spent a couple of hours splashing around and fooling around, like we always do. By the time we got out of the water and were drying off by laying in the sun, it was dinnertime. "We should probably head back, so your brothers don't completely flip their shit." I told her.

"Yeah, probably. But it's kinda fun to make them sweat a little." She giggled.

"Well, darlin', I think them 'sweating a little' ended about an hour ago. Now they're just gonna be pissed." I joked, only half kidding.

And I was right. They were _pissed._

* * *

EDPOV

"Okay. So we'll just have to wait to tell him to go to hell." I said. Bella paused and looked down at her saddle again. "Wait. You're not actually thinking about letting him stay with us, are you?" I fumed. I've always had a temper, but this was too much. She couldn't _actually _not remember what he did to us. What the hell.

"No… I was just…" Bella started.

"Bell, you can't be serious. Do you not remember what he did? He left us. He left you. He moved on and only wants our money. He doesn't want us. Why can't you see that!" I interrupted her. I was seriously pissed. I was looking around, taking in my surroundings, looking for something to hit.

I refocused my attention on my little sister, who was still sitting on her horse. "I know." She said as she turned Logan around and galloped away.

"Nice job, asshat." Emmett yelled and went after her.

"I cannot believe that you just threw that in her face." Alice said disapprovingly.

"Shit. I didn't mean to make her cry again, I just couldn't believe that she was even considering it. I just got so angry. But not at her. At him! For even calling her! He knows that either of us would turn him away, so he goes after her. He's always tried to manipulate her. That son of a bitch!" He can just go die in a hole. I hate him, so much.

"Yeah, but Edward, she wasn't considering it. We talked about it while we were out riding, hence the tears, and she told us that she knows he's trying to manipulate her, but she still feels bad turning him away because she's Bella and she says 'he's still family' and stuff." Rose, the love of my life, said. As I processed what she said, I realized what I had said to her. That was a low blow, and if anyone else had said it, I would have beaten his or her faces in. _I just made my baby sister cry. Shit._

"Shit." I said out loud, as I went to put away my tack and my horse, Harvey. I really am not as big of an asshole that I just seemed. I can't stand my sister crying, as much as the next guy. Even more so, maybe, because it took a lot to make her cry. I knew that she would forgive me, because that's the kind of person that Bella was, but that doesn't make what I said any less mean. I meant every word of it, but I could have a least waited to get the facts before going off on her. I really needed to talk to Bella.

Once I was done with my horse, I went back outside to help Rose. After putting Doug, her horse, in the pasture, we went inside to watch t.v. and wait for Emmet and Bella to get back. A couple of hours passed before we all started to worry. We had all just assumed that Emmet had found her, and was with her now. What if they weren't together? What if she was hurt? Jasper was getting antsy, too. You could tell because from his place on the love seat next to Alice, he kept checking his watch, the door, and the barn yard every three minutes.

"Where do you think they are?" Alice vocalized the question that was on all of our minds.

"I don't know. Where do they always go?" Rose asked.

That was a very good question. We knew they had a "secret hide out" kind of thing, and that even if we went out looking for them, we would never be able to find them. That is, assuming they were even at their hide out.

"I don't know. If they're not back by dinner, we should go out to find them." Jasper said.

_Crap! Second time today that we are planning on going on a rescue mission. That's messed up! _I thought to myself.

I couldn't just stay sitting watching any more SVU (Law and Order Special Victims Unit) reruns. I stood up and walked over to my beloved piano that was in the corner. I sat down behind the bench and ran my fingers down the keys, losing myself in my music.

I don't know how long passed, before Jasper stood up and went outside to the barn. I stopped playing and looked out the screen door at Emmett and Bella.

By the time that I got out to them, Jasper was interrogating them. "Where the hell did you go? And why the hell is your hair wet?"

"Umm… we went to our special spot. And we went swimming." Bella replied.

"But your clothes are dry…" Alice inquired, curious as to how they managed that. I think I had a pretty good idea, but for Emmett's sake, I hoped I was wrong.

"We took them off, before we went swimming." Bella stated matter-of-factly.

"Umm… she means we went in our underwear. Not naked." Emmett clarified, even though that didn't make it much better. She is my baby sister; no man will be seeing her in just her bra and underwear until she is married, no matter how long we've known the man.

"Emmett. A moment, please." Jasper said, making it an order rather than a question.

"Yeah, sure." Emmett said nervously.

Jazz and I exchanged looks before we walked into the barn, expecting Emmett to follow us in there.

"So. You went swimming with my little sister. In your underwear." Jasper started.

I know it sounds overprotective and unnecessary, but she's our baby sister. And if we aren't looking out for her, then who will? Plus, I didn't think that this was really about the swimming thing. I was pretty sure this was our clever way of talking to Em privately about how she's doing. At least that's what it was for me.

Mostly.

"Yeah, we did, but I promise that it was her idea and that nothing happened." Emmett defended.

He has quite the reputation for being a "ladies man" as he likes to call it. Rose just calls it him being a player. With that said, we both know how much Bella means to him and we know that he would not hurt her. Or we would hurt him. That's pretty much how it goes.

"Okay. We trust you, man, but how is she now? Is she still upset about Charlie?" Jasper said quietly, trying to make sure none of the girls heard us.

"Yeah, I don't really know. We talked a little about it, but not too much. She basically said that she wasn't falling for it this time, but that she was disappointed that Charlie was such a douchbag." Emmet summarized.

"Alice said as much." Jazz whispered, nodding his head in agreement. We continued our quite conversation, but stopped abruptly as Rose and Alice came running into the barn.

"He's here." Alice said.

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**A/N: UH-OH! Who's here? Review! Review! Review! Review! ... Please! :) Sorry if there are any mistakes, but I tried my best to make it better. **


	6. Chapter 5

I know. I hate long authors notes, too. But this one really is important… and at least there is an actual chapter too…

**A/N: So, because so much of chapter _ was Jasper explaining the history of the characters, I made this timeline to straighten a few things out. I don't want there to be any confusion. **

**Timeline: **

**Renee grew up on the ranch**

**Renee met Charlie and they married exactly a year later **

**Two years later, Edward was born**

**Ten months after Edward was born, Jasper was. **

**A year later, Bella was born and that same month, Renee's parents died and left Renee the ranch.**

**When Bella was two years old, she met Alice when Alice's parents moved into town. **

**At four, Rose moved in. A couple of months after that, Emmett moved in, too. (None of them are related, except Jasper, Edward, and Bella.) **

**Rose and Bella became friends right away, but Rose and Alice didn't. They took some time, but then they were all best friends. When Emmett met Bella, they were friends right away, too. Though they were friends, more times than not, Emmett would hang out with Edward and Jasper. By seven, though, Emmett was very protective of Bella and they were best friends. The rest of the group followed soon after. From then on, it was the six of them doing everything together. **

**When Bella was eight, Renee was diagnosed with leukemia and went through treatment. During this time, Bella helped out a lot. **

**She was in remission for three and a half years before she was told that it had come back, and she started treatment again. This time around, Renee leaned on Bella even more. Bella was 12. Edward and Jasper were both 13. Bella had to miss a lot of school, but when she went back, she ended up skipping a grade and is now in the same grade as the rest of them. (All of the rest are a year older then Bella) **

**After Renee was diagnosed for the second time, Charlie left. **

**Renee died after a year of treatment the second time around. **

**Four years later, Charlie came back to ask for money because he needed help. He had alcohol and gambling problems. He left after Edward and Jasper reluctantly gave him the money and told him to get lost. **

**The story starts (starting at chapter two) a year later. **

**I think that's all that you need to know to get the idea of the story… probably more then you need to know. But I just wanted to clear everything up. So yeah…. REVIEW!**

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Previously…

"_Okay. We trust you, man, but how is she now? Is she still upset about Charlie?" Jasper said quietly, trying to make sure none of the girls heard us. _

"_Yeah, I don't really know. We talked a little about it, but not too much. She basically said that she wasn't falling for it this time, but that she was disappointed that Charlie was such a douche bag." Emmett summarized. _

"_Alice said as much." Jazz whispered, nodding his head in agreement. We continued our quite conversation, but stopped abruptly as Rose and Alice came running into the barn. _

"_He's here." Alice said._

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BPOV

What I told Emmett was true. I don't hide anything from him… besides for the fact that I'm in love with him…

I'm not really that great of a liar, anyways.

But I really wasn't upset at Edward for what he said. It was the honest truth, and yeah, it hurt like hell to hear, but I needed to hear it.

Alice, Rose, and I stared after the boys as they walked into the barn, undoubtedly to talk about me.

"So, are you okay still, after what Edward said?" Rose asked, getting protective. They all get protective of me, because I'm the "baby" of the group. Just by one year, though.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm pissed at Charlie, but not at Edward. He just told it how it was. No harm done." I soothed her.

Alice gasped, looking down the long drive way that led up to the house.

"Oh shit. Speaking of Charlie. Is that his car coming up the drive way?" Alice asked.

Both Rose and I whipped around and looked where she was pointed.

Sure enough, the one and only Charles Leonard Swan was in the drivers seat of a Forks police cruiser.

_Damn. _

"Go get Jazz, Edward, and Emmett. I'll go see what the hell he wants." I say, not waiting for a response. I stalked towards the now parked car.

"Hey, Bella-bear." Charlie smiled, as he went into hug me. I dodged him and glared at his face.

"What do **you **want." I asked with no emotion in my voice.

"Well, a nicer greeting would be nice…" Charlie said disapprovingly.

_What the hell. He doesn't get to be disappointed in me. He lost that right. _

"Hmm… bummer." I responded hotly.

"No need for the attitude." He scolded.

_The nerve of him! _

"What." Jasper said rudely, saving me from actually hitting him or something.

"Well, hello, to you boys, too." Charlie said. It was almost as if he was surprised that we were not running at him with open arms. "Wow. Look at all of you. You all have grown up so much…"

"Since you left." Edward finished for him.

"Umm… right." Charlie looked around uncomfortably, looking everywhere except at us.

"So back to my original question. What do you want. Money?" I asked him, cutting to the point. The tension in the air could have been sliced with a knife.

"No. I don't want your money. And I'm a little offended that you automatically jumped to that conclusion."

"Well, you did last time." Alice pointed out.

Charlie had always had a soft spot for both Alice and Rose. It was like he had three daughters. You could see that Alice's clipped tone and cold attitude toward him hurt.

_Good. _

"Yes. And I appreciate that a lot. It has nothing to do with anything like that. I'm just…. I'm back." Charlie said.

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JPOV

"Yes. And I appreciate that a lot. It has nothing to do with anything like that. I'm just…. I'm back." Charlie said.

"No." I said as I stepped forward a little bit. I wanted to get Alice, Bella, and Rose a little further away from him. He didn't seem drunk, but he must be crazy if he thought that we were going to let him hang around here.

"You see, actually, I am. This is _my_ house. My house, my barn, my cars, my land." Charlie replied, dropping his all smiles facade.

"No." Edward repeated and he, too, stepped forward. Charlie noticed us inching forward, and took a step closer to Bella.

"I'm not asking. I'm telling." Charlie responded.

"You left, Charlie. I'm not really sure what to tell you. None of this is yours anymore. You gave it all up when you walked out on Mom and us." Bella said. I could see how much this was affecting her, but only because I knew her so well. She was doing a great job keeping her face impartial and unwavering, even though anyone who knew her could see the pain in her eyes. That pissed me off.

_Making my baby sister cry does not fly well here. _

Unfortunately, Charlie knew Bella. He had been around for twelve years of her life on and off. Not that he was that good of a father then either, though.

"Oh, come on, Princess," Charlie tried to reason. Using her childhood nickname was a low blow and definitely not helping his cause, but I could not help but hold back a smirk.

"I am **not **your princess." Bella bit through her teeth. Before, she was hurt. Now she was just pissed. If only Charlie would have known not to call her princess. He ruined his chances at anything with that little mistake. Well, that's not entirely true. It was all of his much bigger mistakes that made that little one count for so much.

Charlie looked taken aback by Bella's response. He turned away from Edward, Bella, and I to face Rose, Alice and Emmett. They had pretty much grown up at our house. We all took turns having sleepovers at each of our houses. We always had more fun sleeping in the barn with the animals, so more times than not, we ended up back here at our place. He knew all of us. What he did account for was that we had all changed. Not by much, but enough to make it difficult to shake us.

"Heya Emmett. I heard your dad won another award! That's great!" he tried.

Emmett gave him a cold stare and said in a clipped tone, "Yup."

You wouldn't know by his response that when he found out his dad won the award, he came running to our house to tell us, actually Bella, at one in the morning. His dad was a doctor, and he was a really good one, too. Too good to be working in a small town in Tennessee, but that's where he worked. Emmett was so proud of his dad, hell, we all were. But that's what had changed. We knew Charlie's games, and we knew to not give him anything he could use against us.

"Alice? How's your momma doing?" Charlie asked, trying to get an accent. He was not born here, nor had he been around here for enough time to pick an accent up, so he just sounded dumb.

"Fine." She replied vaguely.

"Rosie? How's your grandma doing?" I don't really know what he was getting at. It was like he was trying to prove something. I'm not sure if it was that he knew us and knew stuff about us, or what. But whatever it was, was getting on my nerves.

"She died last year." Rose said in answer to his question, scowling at him calling her 'Rosie.'

"Oh. I'm so sorry. I didn't know…" Charlie said awkwardly.

"That's right. You didn't know. Because you weren't here. And you shouldn't be here now. So I suggest you leave, before we call the police for trespassing." Edward threatened getting tired of his games already.

"Hey, now, I'm just trying to be friendly…" Charlie started but I cut him off.

"We don't care. Why can you not see that? We. Do. Not. Care. We don't need you. Haven't for five years now. I don't know what you're trying to do, Charlie, but just don't. Do us all a favor and leave. That was our arrangement last time. We gave you the money, and you left us alone."

By the end of my rant, Charlie was red in the face.

"Excuse me, kids, if you don't mind, I would like to talk to my daughter alone." He grabbed Bella by the arm and dragged her away.

We were having none of that and we started to follow him. When he heard us behind him, he spun around on his heel, still gripping Bella's arm painfully tight.

"Fine. We'll talk right here." He snarled. He turned his back to us, bending his head low so that he could talk to Bella.

To Bella's credit, she kept her face blank, completely void of all expression. It was so silent, you could have heard a pin drop. Even the animals knew to be quiet.

Charlie whispered something to Bella, and her face paled slightly before she recovered and put her mask back up.

"You need to go." I growled, walking up behind him. I stepped in front of Bella, and was standing nose to nose with one angry Charlie Swan.

"Yes. I was just leaving, actually. I'll see you guys soon. Love you." He mocked.

We all watched, still not speaking, as he got into the cruiser and drove down the dirt driveway. As soon as he disappeared from view, we all spun to face Bella again.

Bella was still pale, staring after him. Concerned, Emmett walked over and put his arms around her waist.

"Bell? Talk to me, sweetheart. What did he say to you?" he spoke gently into her ear.

"He…. I…. Umm…." Bella stammered, trying to form the words she needed.

I watched in horror as my baby sister turned from pale to ashen, and she completely collapsed into Emmett's arms.

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**A/N: yeah... so I changed this whole plot right here. But it will still be good... hopefully. Let me know what you think! Review please! **


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